


Family Fun Day

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Slither (2006)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-20
Updated: 2007-12-20
Packaged: 2018-01-25 07:05:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1638074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Happy Holidays, everyone!!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family Fun Day

**Author's Note:**

> I watched this movie especially to write your #1 request, so although the movie wasn't exactly up my alley, (I laughed a lot, but I was also a bit squicked by some parts) I hope I was able to write a story that you were able to enjoy.   
>  Happy Holidays!!
> 
> Written for Seanan

 

 

 

 

Family Fun Day.... In three words, she hated it.

As a young teenager, Kylie Strutemyer was, naturally, very stubbornly opposed to any day that required she spent the majority of her waking hours in the company of her parents and younger sisters. Not that she didn't love her family- she did. She loved them quite dearly when she was enjoying a relaxing bath while listening to her music and no one was pounding on the door and shouting for her to hurry up. She loved them quite warmly when warm breakfast was waiting for her in the morning after having been allowed to sleep in as late as she liked without the usual commotion and headache of her two sisters sneaking noisily into her room to awaken her. And she loved them with particular affection on the rare occasions they let her go out with her friends to the mall on a Sunday afternoon.

But 'love' had definitely not been the emotion that quickened her pulse and darkened her mood when her mother and father had insisted, once again, she set aside the entire next day to devote to 'family fun'.

As she had retreated to the quiet of the bathroom to lose herself in her music and her self-pity, Kylie had let her mind wander over the 'fun family activities' she had been dragged through and bullied into over the past few weekends. Board games, card games, guessing games. Bicycling, hiking, picnicking. Loosely organized sports that always dissolved into pile-ups or playful wrestling matches on the field. With five family members, any team sports ended up being herself and her two sisters against their parents and she had quickly grown quite unamused by her siblings frenzied shrieks and silly antics.

When she had complained, she was always met by a chorus of `boos', as her sisters' lower lips protruded in unison and their father had quickly jumped to the smaller children's defence each time.

"They're young," he had constantly explained, offering her a smile she knew was meant to be understanding but always struck her as too syrupy to offer any real sympathy. "Let them have their fun, sweetheart. This -is- Family Fun Day!"

She had always rolled her eyes at this comment and the energetic voice that conveyed it.

"Don't remind me."

Today though, things were different. Today, such memories would be more than welcome.

Her companions had fallen silent a while ago. The only sound now was the steady sound of their footsteps as they walked on, without any real direction, each lost in their own thoughts. Starla, most likely, was thinking about her future. After everything that had happened to them, worrying about how she would support herself without Grant was probably the last thing she wanted to mull over, but judging by the way her lower lip was pulled between her teeth, something along those lines had to be passing through her mind by now.

Kylie had already wondered over her own future herself. They were all homeless now. They're families dead, their town littered with bodies.... She had let herself feel depressed over the loss until Bill had noticed her downcast expression and sagely advised, "Best to forget that whole damned mess as best you can. Things can only get better from here. We have each other now."

Which was true. At least she wasn't alone, as she had been when her `family' had stumbled, crazed and inhuman, from the house and trapped her in the truck, pleading and screaming for her to let them in. When begging didn't work, they had tried to resort to brute force. Terror had gripped her tightly as the windshield had cracked under the repeated pressured of her father's blunt blows, and she had prayed for someone to save her.

And someone had.

Bill Pardy had saved her without hesitation, on more than one occasion, and, as he had said, things could only get better. The alien life form that had infected her family and neighbours had been killed, and although she, Starla and Bill were the only survivors, the infection had been limited to just their small town, so it was only a matter of walking to the next town to find help.

The walk itself was the hard part. After the intensity and terror of the past few hours, finally releasing all that energy and adrenaline left each of them drained and emotionally fragile. Slowly, worries began to prick at their minds. Starla worried about her future, Kylie guessed, and Bill.... By the way he kept glancing sideways at the attractive blonde woman, the girl could guess he was thinking about his past - the past he had shared with Starla and the decisions he had made back then that had led them to this bizarre situation - and was worrying how it might haunt his chances of a future with her.

Kylie was tempted to put him at ease by pointing out how often Starla's gaze drifted towards him with the same sad, uncertain longing, but decided not to. These things would works themselves out.

Her feet were beginning to ache. She wasn't dressed for such a long hike. Glancing down at her attire, a bubble of bitter laughter rose in the throat. Both her companions glanced over as she stopped to fight back the tears threatening to spills down her cheeks in the aftermath of her stifled chuckle.

"Honey, you alright?"

Starla's voice was concerned and her hand on Kylie's shoulder was comforting. The girl's resistance melted and her tears slipped past her long lashes.

"Sorry, it's just..." her voice faded away and she stared blurrily at the ground.

After a few moments of silence, Bill prodded her to continue. "Just what, Kylie?"

"Just... If I'd known `Famiyl Fun Day' was going to turn out like this, I would have dressed differently." She offered the others a slightly embarrassed smile, and Starla smiled back sweetly, giving her shoulder a little squeeze.

Bill, on the other hand, stepped back and flashed a cocky grin at her. "Hell, if -I- had known it was `Family Fun Day', I never woulda left my house!"

His laughter was infectious and the girls soon joined in. With the laughter, Kylie felt her tears dry and a genuine smile spread over her face.

"Yeah," she agreed with her own impish grin. "Tell me about it! That's one thing I won't miss," she declared, ignoring the sharp wince of pain the words brought deep inside.

 

 

 


End file.
